Two-time champion Tesni Murphy will line up at the British National Squash Championships this week with her sights set on a long-awaited third title – and a chance to enjoy a clean run at the tournament after two injury-hit campaigns.
Murphy, who in 2018 became the first-ever Welsh player to lift the British Nationals trophy, arrives at St George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club this coming week as the No.2 seed [update : Tesni is now top seed following the withdrawal of Gina Kennedy] in the women’s event, joining the likes of British No.1 Georgina Kennedy, and top-30 duo Lucy Turmel and Georgia Adderley as some of the major contenders for the title.
Looking back on her twin successes in 2018 and 2019, the 32-year-old admitted that they both still hold huge importance in the context of her career, with the fire still burning as bright as ever to try enjoy more success at the event.
“They [my two British National titles] have always held a massive amount of significance,” Murphy said. “Both of them meant a lot, especially the first one, I think, because the standard of players who had won it and were always in the finals made it so prestigious.
“I had played the event since I was younger and just never thought I’d be able to win one, so it definitely gave me a massive confidence boost at the time, and still to this day it brings back lots of good memories!”
Recent editions of the British Nationals, however, have tested Murphy’s patience.
In 2023, after fighting back from 2-0 down to send her final with Jasmine Hutton to a fifth game, Murphy was forced to retire through injury, with a repeat of this scenario coming 12 months later when well-placed in her semi-final match with England’s Georgina Kennedy.
On whether she feels an element of unfinished business with the event after these two setbacks, she admitted: “I think yes and no. It has been a couple of years of frustration at the event, picking up a couple of injuries at them, especially when I felt like I was playing well in both years.
“But it’s also all part of it, dealing with injuries. I just try to go into this year as a fresh event and just try and have another go at it and see what I can do.”
Staged on the eve of the PSA Squash Tour season, World No.21 Murphy believes the British Nationals can be a perfect springboard for her game, offering tough matches and the potential for vital momentum for the inevitable challenges which are to come over the 2025/26 season.
“Yeah, I really feel like it sits well in the calendar. It’s a little tricky, though, as you don’t know where your own squash is at, let alone other peoples, so form is out of the window,” she said.
“However, a good showing and some good matches under the belt going into the PSA Tour season is a real positive and can really help as the tour is kicking off the week afterwards. All the players will feel good having had some matches in the bank!”
Murphy will get her title quest underway on Wednesday, 27 August, when she takes on one of the four players who come through the qualifying event in round one.
You can watch all of the action from St George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club in Weybridge live on SQUASHTV, with the event being staged between 26-30 August.
You can secure your tickets for the event right here. For more updates, visit the official tournament website or follow England Squash on Facebook and Instagram.